Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: Week 12 Keys to Victory
Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; The Green Bay Packers line up for a play during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The red-hot Green Bay Packers will travel to TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday to face the young and upcoming Minnesota Vikings, with six games remaining in the season and the playoff push in full swing.
In Minnesota, Vikings fans will be glad that the focus on their team can be shifted back to football. With Adrian Peterson suspended for the remainder of the season earlier this week, it appears that saga has been settled, at least for the time being.
On the field, the visiting Green Bay Packers are coming off two blowout wins over the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, in which they outscored their opponents 108-34. The Packers have been nearly untouchable within the confines of Lambeau Field over their last four home games, dating back to a 42-10 win over the Vikings in a rainy Thursday Night Football affair.
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Week 12 will take Green Bay on the road, and they hope to carry over their play from Lambeau in what is expected to be a Sunday afternoon in the mid-30’s in Minneapolis, with a 30% chance of rain.
The Minnesota Vikings, led by rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater, have exceeded my expectations by jumping out to a 4-6 record through their first ten games. The Vikings are certainly a work in progress on offense, but defensively, they can match up against much stronger teams.
Minnesota ranks 4th in the NFL with 30 sacks on the season, and 8th in passing yards allowed per game, with just 225.2. In their first matchup, the Vikings seemed hesitant to expose their secondary and did not pressure Aaron Rodgers heavily, so it will be interesting to see how their game plan is altered after their loss in early October.
The Green Bay Packers will need to keep their foot on the gas against Minnesota. This week, many have asked if the Packers are “peaking too early”. This is a ridiculous notion, in my opinion, and has become the low-hanging fruit on a week where not much else has looked wrong in Green Bay.
Minnesota is not a team to be taken lightly, though, both now and in the coming seasons. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ offense are a strong bet to have another big day, but there are plenty of Packers who certainly haven’t “peaked too early”, and Head Coach Mike McCarthy will look to them for an improved team effort on Sunday.